The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson – full 4hr 48min

October 30, 2011 at 1:59 pmby

Niall Ferguson, author of The Ascent of Money, follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of our financial system, from its genesis in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance. What’s more, Ferguson reveals financial history as the essential backstory behind all history, arguing that the evolution of credit and debt was as important as any technological innovation in the rise of civilization. As Ferguson traces the crisis from ancient Egypt’s Memphis to today’s Chongqing, he offers bold and compelling new insights into the rise- and fall-of not just money but Western power as well.

This is a long but great video, so make sure to bookmark it if you can’t watch the whole thing now: